A profession is a set of attributes and skills that define your character's abilities. All player characters in the game have both a primary profession, which cannot be changed, and a secondary profession, which may be changed only after completing certain quests and/or missions for player characters. A character has access to all skills of both chosen professions. A player's choice of professions does not limit the types of weapons and other items that character can equip, although that character may not have the attribute points to use a certain weapon or item at full capability. Furthermore, a player's primary profession determines what armor they may wear and limits them to runes and insignias of that profession. Similar considerations apply to the heroes, the major differences being that a hero's secondary profession is available immediately and can be changed into any other profession using the Profession combobox in the Skills and Attributes panel.

Any profession can serve as primary or secondary, which means there are a total of 30 possible core-profession combinations, 56 if you own Factions or Nightfall, and 90 if you own both Factions and Nightfall. Only primary professions have access to their profession-specific primary attributes (marked by below).

Soul Reaping: Each rank grants a 1 Energy each time a nearby creature dies and increases the effectiveness of linked skills. It is only possible to gain energy this way 3 times every 15 seconds. A death when at full energy does not count towards the cap.

Blood Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include sacrificing or stealing Health.

Curses: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include Hexes that render enemies less effective in battle.

Death Magic: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include exploiting corpses and controlling minions.

The following are the new professions added in Guild Wars Factions. They can be created only in Cantha, but they may travel to any other continent (if you have the corresponding campaign) through a quest.

Critical Strikes: Each rank gives an additional 1% chance to critical hit. You gain 1 Energy at 3 ranks and above, 2 Energy at 8 ranks and above, and 3 Energy at 13 ranks and above for each critical hit.

The following are the new professions added in Guild Wars Nightfall. They can be created only in Elona, but they may travel to any other continent (if you have the corresponding campaign) through a quest.

Wind Prayers: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include speed-increasing stances and cold damage spells.

Earth Prayers: Increases the damage and effectiveness of linked skills, which include defensive stances and earth damage spells.

Changing secondary professions

You can change your secondary profession indefinitely - there are no limits to how often you may change. However, PvE characters must first achieve Ascension in Prophecies, become Weh no Su in Factions, or complete Hunted! (quest) in Nightfall before they are allowed to change their secondary profession. PvP characters can change at any time.

Once a character has unlocked a new secondary for that character, he/she may change at any time through the Skills menu from the drop-down menu at the top. Any skills already acquired for a previous secondary profession will still be available when one decides to change back. Changing a secondary from Ranger will not result in the loss of the pet.

Factions

Players may change their secondary profession in Senji's Corner by talking to Senji. Initially changing to each new secondary profession costs 500 . Changing back to a secondary profession that has been already unlocked is free.

Nightfall

Players may change to any unlocked secondary in any town or outpost using the Skills menu. The secondaries may be unlocked by talking to Zuwarah in the Command Post, behind the Sunspear Sanctuary in Kourna. This can only be done after completing the primary quest Building the Base: Prisoners of War. Initially changing to each new secondary profession costs 500 . Changing back to a secondary profession a character has already unlocked is free.

Notes

Once you have unlocked the ability to change your secondary profession at will in the Skill window, if you change your secondary profession within a town/outpost any NPCs who had profession specific quests for the old profession will continue to have a quest marker over their head, but when you click on them the mark will disappear and they will not offer you one. Changing back to the specific profession will then re-enable you to accept the quest.

Conversely, if you have changed your profession while in the town/outpost and there is a profession specific quest-giver for your new secondary profession they will continue to not have a quest marker over their head until you click on them (with prior knowledge it was available) and they will offer you the quest.

Changing professions after accepting a profession-specific quest will not affect your ability to complete it, however you should revert to the quest's profession when accepting the reward, or you might not receive the skills.

Prophecies quests with skill rewards will grant the skills based on your current professions at reward acceptance. Changing your secondary will change the skill rewards offered. If the quest reward giver is in the town you have switched professions in, you will need to rezone or change districts for the skill reward change to be affected.

PvP Access Kit

Players who purchased a PvP Access Kit have access to all professions, and can change their secondary profession whenever they want. Though they are limited to PvP characters and limited to the Battle Isles.

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